The Voice judge Danny O'Donoghue to leave BBC show - BBC News BBC News The Voice judge Danny O'Donoghue to leave BBC show 16 July 2013 Close share panel Image caption O'Donoghue released his first album with his band The Script in August 2008 Singer Danny O'Donoghue will not return as a judge on BBC One's talent show The Voice, he has announced. The Irish front man, who won the competition this year with partially-sighted singer Andrea Begley, follows Jessie J's recent departure. "I gave it my heart and soul and couldn't be more proud of the show," he said in a statement. It has not been confirmed whether Sir Tom Jones and Will.i.am will stay on as the remaining judges. Previously, all four coaches had said they would only reprise their roles if if they could continue doing it together. BBC controller Mark Linsey said O'Donoghue was "an absolute star" but understands he has to focus on his music career. "The Voice coaches are all current music stars with recording and touring careers to manage alongside the show and we know this can be difficult to juggle," he added.

The Script's latest album #3, which was released in September 2012, reached number two in the UK album chart. "My focus will be on The Script moving forward as we are about to embark on the most important part of our career as a band," O'Donoghue said. The BBC said that the full coaching line up for the forthcoming series will be announced in due course. Danny O'Donoghue opens up about new love, quitting The Voice and life on the road with The Script | Daily Mail Online comments It's just minutes before show time and The Script gather in their dressing room for their Cheeky Cheers ritual. Singer Danny O’Donoghue, guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power clink their plastic glasses together; vodka and cranberry juice for Danny and Mark and ginger ale for non-drinking Glen. We are led the few yards to backstage. The boys are springing around, on edge, like sportsmen about to race onto the pitch. In the darkness they bond by forming a circle and linking hands.

Boys on tour: Danny O'Donoghue, posed with The Script bandmates Mark Sheehan and Glen Power, has opened up about his tumultuous year ‘Keep close behind me’, urges Danny as he climbs towards the stage, signaling to security that I’m with the band, so I’m not dragged away. Danny leaps onto the stage and there is a roar of applause and the flash of cameras. Then their music strikes up, the crowd – mostly glammed-up women who have queued outside the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena for hours – goes crazy. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Yes, from my vantage point accompanying them on tour, it’s clear that The Script are a major draw. And now that Danny has quit his coaching job on BBC1’s talent show The Voice, it’s business as usual for the group. He won’t be returning for a third series next year, even though he steered fellow Irish singer Andrea Begley to success last month, and is following fellow judge Jessie J through the exit door.

Moving on: Danny has decided to quit The Voice and has admitted that he's finally begun a new relationship Back to the music: The band are back to working on their music and, admitting that it's what they want to put all their efforts into Now the other members of the panel, Sir Tom Jones and Will.I.Am are also considering their future with the show. But Danny’s decision to go back on the road full time, will come as a huge relief to the other members of The Script. Throughout the last series there were strong rumours that they had become frustrated by Danny’s involvement with the show, in spite of the huge boost it gave the band’s profile. Part of the problem, it was said, was The Voice took up so much of his time that The Script couldn’t take advantage of all the extra publicity Danny brought them, and they had had to turn down dozens of lucrative gigs. However, the band had made a joint decision that Danny should accept the invitation to go on The Voice in the first place - and that they would all split his fee. ‘Yes, we share everything we do,’ they chorus in unison when I ask about it. But wasn’t that a bit harsh on Danny?

After all, he was the one doing all the mentoring work. Not at all, he insists; it’s just good business. ‘While I’m doing that, they are doing other things,’ he explains. However, now that Danny is firmly back in the fold full-time, The Script are rejuvenated and ready to take on the world! Back in the fold: Danny can now dedicate all his time to the band after giving up his other commitments Passionate: The band have admitted that their main priority is now their music and working together The Voice has not only done wonders for The Script’s profile; it has turned 32-year-old Danny into a household name. ‘We brought ourselves to a much wider audience by me doing the show,’ he agrees. ‘Anybody watching it knows it’s about music — and they know we’re about music — so I think we did ourselves justice by me going on it. The power of getting involved in a Saturday night TV show is outrageous.’ What he didn’t expect was to find a fan at Buckingham Palace. The Script were selected to play in front of the Queen during her tour of the BBC’s new London headquarters in June. She visited the Radio 1 Live Lounge where the band played with newcomer, singer Indiana.

‘The request for The Script to play came from the Palace but I have no idea who,’ says Danny. ‘On their way out a lady-in-waiting told me they watch The Voice so I can only presume I‘ve made some kind of impression but I don’t know with whom.’ The Queen sat just feet away from the band as they sang David Bowie’s classic anthem Heroes. The song includes the verse “I will be king and you, you will be queen.” Conscious that Prince Philip had been admitted to hospital the previous evening Danny asked for the Palace to approve the lyrics, not wishing to offend Her Majesty, and received the O.K. just 15 minutes before the performance. He decided to be cautious anyway and thought it would cause less offence if instead of him singing the line he should change the gender and get Indiana to sing “I will be queen and you, you will be king.” Sell-out shows: The Irish band have a worldwide fanbase and are in the process of recording new material Heartthrob: Danny has never been lacking in female attention, but he seems to have found a new love ‘I didn’t want the words to appear offensive so I swapped them round,’ he says.

‘The Queen did seem a bit distracted when we were playing. I can understand that. The Duke was in hospital for exploratory surgery. I am sure it weighed on her mind. ‘But the impression I got was of an incredibly strong woman able to continue and not really let it show at all. ‘From where I was she looked like she really enjoyed it’, says Danny. ‘Afterwards she said something like, “That was really lovely.” They explained to the Queen that singer Indiana was due to play Glastonbury Festival. ‘She said “Glastonbury; that’s the place with all the mud, isn’t it?” I said, “Yes, you would probably have to put on your Royal wellies if you want to make it down.” It was hilarious.’ The band had known they were to play to a special guest but weren’t told who until five days before. ‘When I found out it was the Queen I thought it was very strange they had chosen us but a massive compliment.’ Looking back on this year’s series of The Voice, Danny agrees that it seems to have generated a lot of tension. At one point Jessie J stormed off because she was furious with Will.i.am.

‘Jessie was swearing her head off and stormed off stage. She needed five minutes to cool off, she was so incensed at Will’s decision. But later that night they hugged and made up. ‘Jessie doesn’t like the things a lot of people say. She’s her own woman,’ says O’Donoghue. ‘We were all able to take criticism on the chin a bit more this year. We were more boisterous with each other. I know Will can take it if I turn around to him and say, “You’re an idiot,” as I did on the show. He wouldn’t take it to heart, and afterwards we’d be in the studio writing together.' Winner: Danny's contestant Andrea Begley won this year's series of The Voice, although he has now decided to quit Had enough: Danny is concentrating on his music career now, after The Voice took up so much of his time He was less flattering in a reported comment about Leanne Mitchell, last year’s winner not putting enough effort into her career after her album sold only 895 copies in its first week of release.

‘I was just saying you’ve got to have your music as ready as possible and get it out as soon as you can.’ His protege Bo Bruce put her album out at around the same time but O’Donoghue contends, ‘If I was able to get it out sooner I would have.’ As you would expect he stands by his winner, this year, Andrea Begley and wants to work with her again. He is not disconcerted that The Voice was soundly beaten in the ratings by Britain’s Got Talent which he doesn’t see as a rival. ‘We are a singing contest not a talent show. But the producers may feel it is time to take stock and see if any changes to be made next year’. During the first series, Danny split up with his Lithuanian model girlfriend of four years Irma Mali. So is there a new woman in his life? The singer is cagey on the subject. ‘I get so engrossed in what I do, there hasn’t really been that much room for anybody else,’ he tells me, although admits, ‘But I am now dating a special someone’.

Towards the end of the first series of The Voice last May, rumours abounded that Danny was having an affair with Bo Bruce, the aristocratic contestant he was mentoring. Bo (real name Lady Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce) is the daughter of the Earl of Cardigan, from whom she is estranged. Hers was an unhappy childhood and Bo had taken out a restraining order on her father and successfully won a personal battle against drink and drug abuse. Viewers saw Danny take on a protective role during filming — he was in tears when she spoke of her mother’s illness — and rumours of a romance were fuelled further when the pair performed a passionate duet and were photographed together in public. ‘I didn’t deny or confirm the speculation,’ Danny says. ‘I found it funny. By not saying anything, it created its own buzz. I thought I’d use it, and help Bo get publicity’ In fact all members of The Script worked with her. Recalls guitarist Mark, ‘When there was all thie speculation about Danny and Bo, he told us, “this is getting out of hand”. But I said we could use all the attention to help her.

Big decision: Both Danny and Jesse have announced their decision to leave the show with their replacements yet to be named Helping hand: Danny enlisted friend Dido to help him out with his coaching on the BBC show ‘Me and Glen would go out the back of the studio and have a cigarette with her. We could easily have been photographed with her, and people could have said the same thing about either of us – that we were in a relationship with her,' says Danny. ‘The true story is that I am still working with her. I co-wrote her single Alive.’ The Script are cautious with their money. They have bought themselves homes in suburban West London, but nothing ostentatious. Mark’s one treat is a custom-built whisky bar boasting more than 100 rare bottles. Most of their money has been reinvested in their growing business empire, which includes their own record and music publishing company. Mark and Danny were in a boy band called My Town as teenagers back in 1996. They then moved to America, spending 11 years writing music for other, bigger names: Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Boyz II Men.

Finally, they decided to strike out on their own, teamed up with Glen and The Script was formed on - they all chime in - ‘08-08-08’. It was a wise move; their three albums have to date sold more than five million. On tour, the band keep busy during the day by writing and recording in a portable studio, erected in a quiet space backstage and equipped with its own soundproof audio booth. It keeps them out of mischief, they say, and means they can ready their next album. Touring is an essential part of their success, but it takes its toll, particularly on Mark, 34, who keeps in touch with his wife Rina and three children via the internet. ‘We meet at the Skype bar as we call it, as often as possible, with a drink in hand, and have a little chat. Rina comes to see me when she can, though it’s hard with the kids at school.’ The guitarist is a forceful character and the driving force behind the band. He confesses he’s the hardest drinking, too.

‘I am sure the guys will probably think I drink too much — but that’s life on the road.’ Drummer Glen Power gave up drinking two years ago, after a couple of gigs when he was so hung-over he nearly fainted on stage. Mark and Danny’s relationship has been likened to Del Boy and ‘Plonker’ Rodney in TV’s Only Fools And Horses. They laugh at the notion, but maybe there’s a grain of truth there. Mark’s the hustler, while Danny admits ‘if it was left to me, I’d be sitting in the corner waiting to be discovered’. And though they admit they have their ‘screamers’ — arguments that those who hear them are convinced mean the end of the band — Danny says they’re always about the music, never personal False rumours: Danny has admitted that there was never any romance between him and Bo Bruce Despite all this passion, Mark says he hasn’t cried since he was 14 and his father died. The one exception was the day his mother succumbed to cancer in 2007. ‘I’m broken. It’s terrible,’ Mark tells me. ‘I feel like music’s my punch bag.

It’s the only thing I felt I could run to. Last love: Danny split form long-term girlfriend Irma Mali last year, but has now admitted that he's found someone new ‘Even Danny has said to me, we’ve been friends since childhood, but he’s never heard me speak about the loss of my parents at all. The first time he ever heard it was in a song.’ Danny’s father died unexpectedly of a stomach aneurysm just four months after Mark’s mum. The pair seem to have parallel lives. Both are the youngest of six children. Both learned early on that they had to shout to be heard. Both turned the grief at their parents’ loss into music - in the form of fans’ favourite If You Could See Me Now. Each time they perform it, there is a moment of contemplation, just before they start, when they remember their parents. ‘On stage when I sing it I do feel my father is looking down on me,’ Danny says. Meanwhile, as my tour with them continues, that night’s show in Cardiff ends and Danny and Mark, still buzzing, regale us with on-the-road tales.

Talking about their time in America, working with celebrated R&B producers, Danny says: ‘When I was growing up I didn’t want to be a musician — I wanted to be black.’ That night, they sleep on the tour bus on the journey to the next gig in Brighton, and they have their portable studio up and running soon after breakfast. They work until late afternoon, eat dinner at 5.30pm, then hold a meet-and-greet with fans. Among them is five-year-old Leo Ask from Hove, almost totally blind and suffering from life threatening ailments. He tells them he plays The Script’s music every night in bed. Leo starts singing Hall Of Fame to Danny who, visibly touched, kneels down next to him and joins in. Leo complains: ‘That’s my song!’ Danny gives Leo some of his bracelets; Leo’s mum gives Danny a plastic wristband advertising Leo’s viskid.com charity, which the singer wears at the gig. Then, it’s back to the dressing room. ‘We like to have one hour to ourselves,’ Mark explains. ‘We like to be warmed up when we go on stage — unlike a lot of bands who only warm up around the fourth or fifth song.

Danny chips in: ‘We never talk about a show after we come off stage, because it’s the wrong time. Emotions are so high. Before I go on, I pace the hallways like a caged tiger.’ Prior to each show, roadies are sent off to buy a bizarre array of items. In Cardiff it was Tom Jones masks. In Brighton it’s a deck chair, beach balls – and, favourite headgear of holidaying Brits – knotted handkerchiefs. The props are for a specially created stage photo opportunity which will be posted on Twitter and Facebook to promote online conversations. It’s another reminder that The Script are canny businessmen as well as talented musicians. That night is a repeat of the night before: the audience going wild and The Script putting everything into their performance. Finally, the fans reluctantly allow them to come off stage, and Danny, Mark and Glen dive into the tour coach en route to the next gig. They are drenched in sweat and euphoric as they tuck into a sandwich supper. That’s rock and roll. *The Script are at the V Festival on August 17 and 18. Ticketmaster: 0844 844 0444.

Singer Danny O'Donoghue becomes second judge to leave The Voice (From HeraldScotland) Singer Danny O'Donoghue becomes second judge to leave The Voice Danny O'Donoghue Singer Danny O'Donoghue will not be returning to The Voice, he has announced. The Irish heartthrob, who won the BBC1 show this year with partially-sighted singer Andrea Begley, is following in the footsteps of Price Tag star Jessie J, who recently announced she was leaving. He said that he will not be back as coach next year because of recording commitments with his band The Script. Loading article content The announcement leaves half of the four-strong panel of coaches - which also featured Sir Tom Jones and Will.i.am - no longer attached to the BBC show. Danny said: "I had two wonderful seasons on The Voice and as everybody knows I gave it my heart and soul and couldn't be more proud of the show and what we have achieved.

"My focus will be on The Script moving forward as we are about to embark on the most important part of our career as a band." Mark Linsey, BBC controller, entertainment commissioning, said: "Danny has been an absolute star - and a winner - on The Voice but we understand that he, like Jessie, has to focus on his music career and The Script have such an incredibly busy year ahead. "The Voice coaches are all current music stars with recording and touring careers to manage alongside the show and we know this can be difficult to juggle. We are very sorry to see Danny go but wish him and the band the very best and hope they will come back and perform for us next series." The BBC said that the full coaches' line up for the third series will be announced in due course. The Voice: Danny O'Donoghue quits as a coach - Telegraph The Voice The Voice: Danny O'Donoghue quits as a coach Danny O'Donoghue has resigned as a coach on BBC talent show The Voice, less than two weeks after singer and former coach Jessie J quit the programme.

Danny O'Donoghue with his winning act Andrea Begley in The Voice Photo: PIXEL/BBC By Alice Vincent, Entertainment writer, online 1:59PM BST 16 Jul 2013 Singer Danny O'Donoghue will not return to judge the next series of The Voice, he has announced. Donoghue, who is the frontman of The Script, won this year's competition with blind singer Andrea Begley. His announcement comes less than two weeks after fellow coach Jessie J stepped down from the show. Like Jessie J, O'Donoghue cited his musical commitments as the reason for his departure. The news was broken on the BBC One Twitter account on Tuesday. So far, the remaining two judges, Tom Jones and Will.i.am, have not confirmed their involvement with the third series of the show. Previously, all four coaches said they would only continue on the show if they could do so together. BBC controller Mark Linsey said O'Donoghue was "an absolute star" but understands the commitment to his music career.

O'Donoghue posted on Twitter that he had "two wonderful seasons on The Voice and as everybody knows I gave it my heart and soul and couldn’t be more proud of the show and what we have achieved." Related Articles Danny O'Donoghue reveals the REAL reasons he walked away from The Voice | Daily Star Published 30th March 2014 HEARTACHE: Danny was devastated when his mum nearly died [TIM MERRY] At the time he claimed: "My focus will be on The Script moving forward as we are about to embark on the most important part of our career as a band.” But now the former show judge has admitted the real reasons he walked away from the BBC talent show. The Irishman said he was struggling through a time of terrible heartache after his mother almost died and his hidden relationship broke down. His mum Ailish, 67, is still in poor health and devoted Danny has shunned the limelight to care for her.

MENTOR: Danny spent two series as a judge on The Voice [BBC] “I flew straight home and we were told she might not make it through the night” Danny O'Donoghue He told the Sun: “She had a brain aneurysm on the base of her skull. I flew straight home and we were told she might not make it through the night. "We had weeks and weeks of care and being there for her.” Not only was there the crisis with his mum, but Danny's secret relationship also came to an end. He admitted that he has never been lucky in love and said: “I have a terrible track record with relationships so I’m leaving it in the hands of my three sisters to find me someone.” Danny also found himself getting disillusioned with The Voice after BBC bosses said they wanted the show to be more entertaining and less technical. Jessie J, who also left the show after the second series, wasn't happy about the effects the show had on her career.

QUIT: Jessie J also walked away from the show [GETTY] Related articles Danny O'Donoghue: The Voice winner Leanne Mitchell wasn't even the best | Metro News Metro Web Reporter for Metro.co.uk Tuesday 21 Aug 2012 2:40 pm The Voice judge Danny O’Donoghue has claimed that the show’s winner, Leanne Mitchell, was not the best singer on show. He also said that the Run To You singer would struggle to entertain big crowds and pointed out that music listeners have different tastes to those who watched the BBC talent show. Danny O’Donoghue has claimed Leanne Mitchell won’t entertain large crowds (PA) ‘She’s got an amazing voice, but I couldn’t see her exciting 80,000 people for an hour and a half, there were people like that on the show, but they got voted off, and it’s quite hard,’ he said. Leanne’s debut single reached number 45 in the UK charts, but The Script singer said he was not too disappointed by the failure as the winner was not mentored by him. ‘She won the show, you know, in the final she was ‘technically’ the best singer.

Was she technically the best artist? No. But that’s just my opinion. ‘She was definitely the best singer on the night, but it was unfortunate, that other people didn’t get a look in, ones that would have suited pop music better,’ he told Gigwise. O’Donoghue and The Script are set to release new single Hall of Fame, featuring fellow judge Will.i.am. The judging line up for the second series of The Voice has been fraught with problems since Danny hinted that Jessie J would not be making a return for the new series. More BBC One - The Voice UK, Series 1 - Danny O’Donoghue Read more about sharing. Danny O’Donoghue The Script frontman, Danny O’Donoghue, brings Irish charm and a fierce competitive spirit to the table in his quest for victory on series 2 of The Voice UK. ﻿The star poses a threat to his fellow coaches and has prepared himself for a battle in the search for The Voice.

He warned: “I look forward to putting my team together – I’m not here to enjoy the competition, I’m here to destroy the competition!” If you’ve got the voice, there’s only one choice: Team Dan Danny Danny has enjoyed massive success as the lead singer of The Script; the band’s first two albums went to number one in UK and Ireland. Now on their third album, they’ve sold over 4 million albums worldwide. Impressively, they’ve shifted five million singles in the US, and played stadium shows with Take That, Paul McCartney and their mentors, U2 and completed their own sold-out headline stadium show at the Aviva Stadium Dublin. Danny’s got a busy year ahead - when he’s not coaching on The Voice, he’ll be performing in sell-out tours of the US and the UK.

The Voice Danny O'Donoghue: 'The Voice is a better show than X Factor' | Metro News Max for Metro.co.uk Friday 12 Sep 2014 9:13 am The Script’s puts the boot in to former rival show The X Factor (Picture: Ian West/PA Wire) He may no longer be on The Voice UK’s judging panel, but The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue made it pretty clear where his loyalties lie in Max from Capital’s latest blog for Metro.co.uk. Our gal Max has also been hobnobbing with Kim and Kanye, getting up-close-and-personal with 5SOS and David Guetta at the iTunes Festival and more. iTunes Festival kicked off last week and I caught up with one of the biggest dance DJs-producers in the world – David Guetta. He headlined at London’s Roundhouse last Wednesday night, and told me: ‘It’s September! You know what I’m doing in September?! I’m trying to break a record of craziness! I’m doing Vegas and Ibiza every week.

It’s really challenging.’ David is a man on a mission (Picture: Capital / Max) On his new album he said: ‘It’s really, really strong. It took me three years to be happy with it. It really was the hardest album to deliver. Now I’m very close to the end, and I’m very happy.’ Also at the iTunes Festival, I chatted to one of the hottest bands around right now – 5SOS. As well as telling me about their love for Nando’s when they’re in the UK, we chatted about their amazing success. Max with 5SOS (Picture: Capital / Max) Ashton from the group said: ‘I think the most important thing for this band is that we’re four dudes, in a band, still playing and making music. As long as we do that to the best of our ability, we’ll be here for a long time.’ GQ Men Of The Year Awards saw stars from across the globe walk the red carpet at the Royal Opera House in London. Work it Rita, work it!

(Picture: Jonathan Short/Invision/AP) Rita Ora looked incredible, and told me who her man of the year was, “First my dad, but he can’t be here today so I think GQ gave the award to someone else! Pharrell’s been amazing. He’s up there for me!’ I also spoke to Jessie J who despite telling me her diary was the busiest it has ever been, was full of energy and looking sexy in a silk vintage Jean Paul Gaultier gown with not much else on! Bang Bang, how stunning does Jessie look! (Picture: Jonathan Short/Invision/AP) The British singer gave me some goss about filming the video for her new single ‘Burnin’ Up’: “I think I was just really free, and I did things I’ve never done. I just felt really sexy and grown up. Fingers crossed it’ll be out ASAP.’ I also managed to sneak in a quick word with the controversial Kanye West. He walked the red carpet with his wife Kim Kardashian West (who received the Women Of The Year award), and the pair couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

Kanye only had eyes for Kim (Picture: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images) Everyone could see Kanye’s totally smitten. I asked him what he thought of Kim’s award, and he simply said: “I’m so proud of my baby.” He also revealed he’s working on new music… Watch this space! The Script dropped by on my Capital show and I couldn’t help chatting to front man Danny about the new series of The X Factor. I let him hear three contestants (but didn’t show him what they looked liked) that had all made it through to the next round of the show and asked for his opinion on each. The Script chat to Max during her show (Picture: Capital) After one of the clips Danny candidly said: ‘…and that’s why The Voice is a better show than X Factor, because people like that do not get through.’ That’s all for now, until next time peeps. Tune in to Max on Capital , Monday – Thursday from 10pm and Sunday’s from 7pm, across the UK on 95-106 Capital FM, DAB digital radio, at capitalfm.com and on the mobile app. Metro Blogs is a place for opinions.

These opinions belong to the author and are not necessarily shared by Metro. More It's friday: Danny O'Donoghue - The Voice judge who has scaled the U.S. charts | Daily Mail Online comments V for victory? The Voice judge Danny O’Donoghue Had you ever heard of Danny O’Donoghue before he started appearing as a judge on BBC1’s The Voice? Jessie J? Tick. Will.i.am (if only for his silly name)? Tick. Sir Tom Jones? No need to answer. But Danny O’Dono...who? It turns out he’s the frontman of Irish band The Script (ask your children) who’ve had hit albums and singles around the world — and that includes America — and who’ve appeared as support to Sir Paul McCartney, U2, Take That and Adele. To his credit, O’Donoghue has quickly established himself as a credible judge, his easy charm winning over contestants and viewers alike. And, as on TV, so in life. Danny is not a man you could ever describe as tongue-tied.

At 31, with his plume of thick dark hair, his skinny frame and his casual appearance — T-shirt, jeans, Converse trainers — he could be any young man sitting opposite you on the bus. ‘People might have heard of The Script,’ he is explaining, in his soft Dublin brogue. ‘But we don’t put our pictures all over our album covers. We didn’t want to become famous for being famous, falling out of nightclubs. We wanted to be known for the music.’ It makes you wonder what his two fellow band members, Mark Sheehan and Glen Power, feel about Danny’s sudden elevation into the nation’s sitting rooms? ‘They love it,’ he says firmly. ‘Mark was urging me to go for it in the first place. It pulls The Script up to a level we’ve never known before. All the videos and albums are now back in the charts.’ Danny was alerted to the possibility of being considered as a judge when he took a call from his manager. ‘I thought he was kidding because I knew The Voice from America and, more recently, in Ireland. I knew it was a great format, the talk of the town.

And I knew there were other people in the running: John Legend and Mary J Blige, for instance, and Will Young.’ It all got a bit embarrassing. Everyone — and that included Will Young himself — thought he had bagged the fourth judge’s chair, only for it to be whisked away from him at the eleventh hour. One story even had it that the contract sent to Danny by the BBC still had Will’s name on it. It’s fair to say Young was distinctly underwhelmed by the experience — as he was not slow to share with his many Twitter followers. ‘The Voice came. The Voice went,’ he wrote. ‘They wanted to go more rock … Should have dusted off my leather jacket. Hey ho!’ Dark mutterings from someone close to the production hinted there may have been an additional reason why Will (who has never made a secret of the fact that he’s gay) was felt ultimately not to meet requirements. Tough crowd: Danny with rival judges from The Voice Jessie J, Will.i.am and Tom Jones An insider told It’s Friday! columnist Dan Wootton: ‘There was a view that the panel needed a so-called hunk who would appeal to young female viewers.

‘The American version of the show had Adam Levine, lead singer of Maroon 5 and a real sex symbol. It was decided that Will didn’t really fit into that category and that Danny, as a rock star, was an exciting new talent who most certainly did.’ Danny picks his words carefully when asked to put himself in Will Young’s shoes. ‘I can’t imagine what it would be like to be in his position,’ he says. ‘And I wouldn’t want to say anything that would make him feel uncomfortable. ‘All I can say is that a number of people went after the same job and, for whatever reason, I was the one who got it.’ But why? ‘Well, I know my stuff. I’ve been writing and performing and producing for 15 years. The Script have a wealth of experience working with people like Boyz II Men, TLC, Justin Timberlake. We’ve edited vocals for Britney Spears. ‘And I suppose I’m the indie judge in that I represent something different from the others.’ As a teenager, Danny was in a boyband called Mytown. ‘At the time, I thought it was the most R’n’B, hip hop, happening band ever.

But we didn’t succeed in the way we’d hoped. ‘It was great experience, though. I’ve tasted failure and come out the other end. I got a second chance. It’s set me up well to help the members of Team Danny on The Voice. I’ve been that person on stage. I’ve known what it’s like to have no chair turn round for me.’ Item: Danny with long-term girlfriend, model Irma Mali The first time the four judges met was when the BBC took them out for dinner. ‘Jessie’s a real livewire,’ says Danny, ‘very witty, very quick, very intelligent, all way beyond her years. She’s still only 24. Will.i.am is an amazing character. He’s genuinely funny off-screen, too, so I’m glad his real personality is coming across on the show. ‘And what can I say about Sir Tom? I get the honour of sitting next to him. Van Morrison, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding — he’s got stories about working with them all. He was 40 when I was born. I have so much respect for that guy.’ So how is he finding this new challenge?

‘It’s proved you don’t have to look good to be a great singer. An image is important but it’s secondary to the voice. And, compared to some [unnamed] talent shows, everyone who comes on The Voice is a good singer. ‘There was never a chance that the audience — or the judging panel — would be wincing when someone started singing. The only cringeworthy element was when the hands of the judges were hovering over those red buttons. The singers who didn’t make the cut were just testament to the high standard of the contest.’ He seems genuinely impressed by the contestants. ‘I promise that, on some occasions, someone would open his or her mouth and I’d be thinking: “You’re better than me. How on earth am I going to be able to give you pointers?” ‘But the mentoring process isn’t about teaching them to sing. It’s about bringing out the best version of themselves.’ And no, he wouldn’t dream of predicting who’s going to win. ‘But whoever it is will be on Team Danny,’ he adds, cheekily. Danny comes from a musical household. His late father, Shay, was a songwriter who once played in a band with the bass player from Thin Lizzy.

‘Both my brothers are in bands. My mother, Ailish, is the only woman in Ireland who can boast that all her sons were on the same edition of The Late, Late Show [Ireland’s most popular entertainment show] in three separate bands.’ Danny’s father died four years ago. In memory of the man he adored, Danny had a rose tattooed on the underside of his left arm from elbow to wrist. ‘He always used to put a white rose in the middle of a bouquet of red roses because, for him, my mum was the one who stood out from everybody else. And she placed a single white rose on his coffin. Later, I wrote a poem saying that she mustn’t fade like the rose and lose all her colour. She had to find a way of overcoming her grief.’ Danny has a steady girlfriend Irma Mali, a 28-year-old Lithuanian model and mother to nine-year-old daughter, Nikoleta. Involvement in The Voice clearly comes at a price. ‘Irma has to be in Dublin full-time because of Nikoleta’s schooling. So we can’t be together as much as we’d like.

We have a three-week rule which means we’re never apart for longer than that and we text and phone and Skype all the time. But it’s hard.’ They met when she was cast in the video of one of The Script’s singles. Danny is suddenly struggling to find the right words. And isn’t that a slight blush on his cheek? ‘I saw her and thought we’d look right together. The chemistry only works when it’s real.’ By the end of the day, Danny was smitten. They got together a month later. That was four years ago and they’ve been inseparable ever since. My gang: Danny, centre, with his team on The Voice, hopes one of his singers can win the popular show Indeed, after The Script and Cameron Diaz both appeared on an edition of the U.S. talk show, Today, Cameron gave her phone number to Danny’s management. ‘I didn’t call her, though,’ he says. ‘I’m happy with my girlfriend. I wasn’t even tempted.’ For the most part, though, Danny’s a man who keeps his nose to the grindstone. ‘I genuinely believe that, if all this can happen for me, it can happen for anyone.

Yes, you have to have talent but hard work is what makes the difference.’ He’s like a sponge when it comes to soaking up the wisdom of those more experienced than him. Paul McCartney chose The Script as his support band after he’d heard their first album and before he played three concerts at the Shea Stadium in New York. ‘He came into our dressing room before the first performance. He stayed for half-an-hour, chatting and giving us advice about how to handle a huge audience. “Just because you’ll be playing to 80,000 people,” he said, “you mustn’t think you have to play 80,000 times better. And always tell a story before you start singing a particular song. Give it a context. Include the audience, involve them.” I can suffer from nerves so I found what he said really useful.’ In 2009, The Script (whose third album will be released in September) supported Adele throughout her American tour. ‘Everywhere she sang, jaws were dropping — including ours. It’s such a huge talent and she’s such a fine role model. We gave her a Zippo cigarette lighter in New York for her 21st birthday.

Since then, she’s given up smoking which is probably a good thing, especially if you have a gift like hers.’ Like the man’s fond of saying, in the end it all comes down to The Voice. The Voice is on BBC1 on Saturday at 7pm.

Question: Danny O'Donoghue was a judge on the TV show 'The Voice'; he is the singer with which group?
Answer: The Script